The prototype has users
People are relying on something that was built to prove an idea.
Built it in Bolt? Here’s how to ship it for real.
Bolt gets a full-stack app running in the browser in minutes. Turning that into software a business can depend on takes engineering foundations.
What should you do with a Bolt build?
If the build is a product with real users, data, and a roadmap, rebuild it as a production React or Next.js codebase with proper auth, testing, and deployment. If it is a marketing site, rebuild it on Astro or Framer so it ranks, loads fast, and your team can edit it. Bolt builds usually use common JavaScript frameworks, so parts of the interface can often be kept.
If you are still testing the idea with a handful of people, keep iterating in Bolt. Rebuild once the idea is proven, not before.
Signs your Bolt build needs a production rebuild.
Security needs a proper review
Auth, secrets, and data access need to be checked by someone who does this daily.
Each change gets riskier
Without tests or structure, every fix creates new problems.
Hosting is an afterthought
Deployment, monitoring, and backups need real ownership.
A team needs to work on it
Collaboration needs version control, reviews, and a codebase people understand.
Where Bolt builds usually go.
Bolt builds tend to be one of two things: a product that needs engineering foundations, or a website that needs to perform. Here is where each should go.
| Option | Best for | Who edits content | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A production React or Next.js codebase | Products that need real users, data, security, and a roadmap | Developers, in version control with code review | Needs engineering ownership after launch |
| Astro with a visual CMS | Content-heavy or performance-critical sites with custom integrations | Marketing, in the CMS; developers own templates and components | New templates need a developer |
| Framer | Marketing sites where the team wants to design and publish without a developer | Marketing, directly in a visual canvas | Not for application UI or content that feeds other channels |
Option
A production React or Next.js codebase
- Best for
- Products that need real users, data, security, and a roadmap
- Who edits content
- Developers, in version control with code review
- Watch out for
- Needs engineering ownership after launch
Option
Astro with a visual CMS
- Best for
- Content-heavy or performance-critical sites with custom integrations
- Who edits content
- Marketing, in the CMS; developers own templates and components
- Watch out for
- New templates need a developer
Option
Framer
- Best for
- Marketing sites where the team wants to design and publish without a developer
- Who edits content
- Marketing, directly in a visual canvas
- Watch out for
- Not for application UI or content that feeds other channels
Pick a path.
Bolt → Production app
A maintainable React or Next.js codebase with real auth, data, testing, and deployment.
Learn moreBolt → Astro
A fast, modern frontend with a visual CMS on top, for sites that have outgrown all-in-one platforms.
View migration pathBolt → Framer
The best visual builder for marketing sites: a full CMS, fast pages, safe editing, and native AI workflows.
Learn more
Keep building in Bolt, or rebuild?
Bolt is a great way to prove an idea. Here’s how to tell when it has done its job.
A production rebuild makes sense when
- Real customers are using it, or about to
- You are storing personal or payment data
- Changes keep breaking something else
- Investors or buyers will look at the code
- You need a team, not one prompt window, to work on it
Staying in Bolt is fine when
- You are still validating the idea
- Only a few internal people use it
- It holds no sensitive data
- Speed of iteration matters more than stability
- There is no budget for a rebuild yet
What comes with you.
We start from what already works, keep the flows your users know, and rebuild the foundations underneath them.
- Every screen and flow that works today
- Your data, migrated into a proper schema
- Auth, rebuilt on a production provider
- Integrations, payments, and email
- Your domain, with URLs redirected
- The design, refined into a component system
Leaving a different platform?
Leaving Contentful
Facing a Contentful price jump or hitting its limits? Compare moving to Sanity, Astro content collections, or Framer, and see when staying on Contentful makes sense.
Read the guideLeaving Drupal
Facing a Drupal upgrade or rising maintenance costs? Compare moving to Astro or a headless CMS like Sanity or Contentful, and see when staying on Drupal makes sense.
Read the guideLeaving Gatsby
Gatsby’s momentum has stalled since Netlify’s acquisition and the Gatsby Cloud shutdown. Compare moving to Astro, Framer, or Next.js, and see when staying makes sense.
Read the guide
Bolt to production: common questions.
Can a Bolt app be used in production?
Some can, for small audiences and low-risk use. Once real customers, sensitive data, or payments are involved, most Bolt builds need an engineering review and usually a rebuild of the foundations.
Can you work from our existing Bolt code?
Yes. We start with an audit of what was generated, keep what is sound, and rebuild what is not. Often the design and flows survive while auth, data, and structure are replaced.
Can we export our code from Bolt?
Yes. Bolt projects can be downloaded or deployed, which gives us the code to audit before deciding what to keep.
Will we lose what we built?
No. The screens, flows, and data that work today are the starting point. The rebuild keeps what users rely on and fixes what makes it fragile.
How long does it take to productionise an AI-built app?
An audit takes one to two weeks. A rebuild of a typical early-stage product is usually six to twelve weeks, depending on scope and integrations.